This invention relates to a method of forming a tampon having a resilient member. More specifically, this invention relates to a method of forming a catamenial tampon having a resilient member which is designed to prevent premature leakage of body fluid from a woman""s vagina when the tampon is initially inserted into the woman""s vagina and to provide better utilization of the absorbent during use.
Currently, there are two basic types of catamenial tampons used for feminine hygiene. The first type is a digital tampon which is designed to be inserted into a woman""s vagina directly by the user""s fingers. The second type is a tampon which is designed to be inserted with the aid of an applicator. Both types are usually made by folding or rolling a loosely associated strip of absorbent material into an elongated shape often referred to as a xe2x80x9csoftwind.xe2x80x9d The softwind is then radially and/or biaxially compressed into a pledget. The pledget may or may not include a cover. In both types of tampons, a withdrawal string is attached to the absorbent, either before or after compression, to facilitate removal of the tampon from the user""s vagina after it has absorbed a certain quantity of body fluid, such as menses, blood, etc.
It has been found that many tampons, both digital as well as those delivered by an applicator, are unable to prevent premature leakage of body fluid. Premature leakage can result from a number of factors. One factor is that the tampon does not properly fit above the introital region of the vagina. A second factor is that the tampon has been compressed to such an extent that it is unable to open or radially expand rapidly enough after initial insertion into a woman""s vagina to absorb the body fluid which comes into contact with it. A third factor is that the tampon is not shaped correctly to intercept fluid flow through the vaginal canal. A fourth factor is that the folds and convolutions of the vagina are not all in contact with the tampon and therefore body fluid is able to bypass the tampon.
Now a method of forming a catamenial tampon has been invented. The method includes forming a tampon having a resilient feature which will prevent premature leakage of body fluid immediately after being inserted into a woman""s vagina and provide better utilization of the absorbent during use.
Briefly, this invention relates to a method of forming a catamenial tampon. The method includes the steps of assembling a resilient member and an absorbent to form a structure having a central longitudinal axis Xxe2x80x94X The resilient member can either be aligned with or offset from the central longitudinal axis Xxe2x80x94X. The absorbent and the resilient member are then rolled or folded up into an elongated softwind which has a first end and a second end. The elongated softwind is then folded such that the first and second ends are aligned adjacent one another and the softwind contains at least two folds therebetween. The softwind is then compressed into a pledget having an insertion end and a trailing end. A withdrawal string is then secured to pledget to form a tampon. The withdrawal string facilitates removal of the tampon from a woman""s vagina.
The general object of this invention is to provide a method of forming a tampon for the absorption of menses, blood, etc. A more specific object of this invention is to provide a method of forming a catamenial tampon having a resilient feature which is designed to prevent premature leakage of body fluid when initially inserted into a woman""s vagina and provide better utilization of the absorbent during use.
Another object of this invention is to provide a method of forming a tampon which springs open immediately upon insertion into a woman""s vagina to prevent bypass of menses and other body fluids.
A further object of this invention is to provide a method of forming a tampon which contains a resilient member which has the potential to open at least a portion of the tampon so that the tampon will contact a larger cross-section of a woman""s vagina, thereby preventing the premature leakage of body fluid.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a method of forming a tampon which has wet and dry expansion capability.
Still further, an object of this invention is to provide a method of forming a tampon which exhibits reduced slippage during use.
Still further, an object of this invention is to provide a method of forming a tampon which is expandable to fit within the non-circular cross-section of a woman""s vagina.
Still further, an object of this invention is to provide a method of forming a tampon with better utilization of the absorbent during use.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the following description and the accompanying drawings.